


Unusual Happenings

by rose_gardens



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (yet), Alternate Universe - 2000s, Alternate Universe - Stranger Things Fusion, Childhood Friends, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Dungeons & Dragons References, Enemies to Friends, Gen, Government Conspiracy, Hange Zoë & Levi Are Best Friends, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kid Fic, No Romance, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Not Beta Read, Pre-Relationship, The power of friendship, Trans Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Warriors-centric, friends that evade taxes together stay together, get ready for early 2010s nostalgia, more like coming to terms with your sexuality but there isn't a tag for that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:27:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21564748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rose_gardens/pseuds/rose_gardens
Summary: Bad things don't happen in suburbia - until they do. There's a missing child, a rogue government experiment, potential international involvement, con artists, and a monster on the loose. The worst part is that the only ones who can stop it are the loser kids, and no one's listening to them.Stranger Things but with the warrior kids.
Relationships: Hange Zoë & Levi, Porco Galliard & Pieck, Reiner Braun & Bertolt Hoover & Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun & Marcel Galliard | Berwick & Bertolt Hoover & Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun & Marcel Galliard | Berwick & Porco Galliard & Bertolt Hoover & Annie Leonhart & Pieck, Reiner Braun & Ymir
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Bad Things Don't Happen In Suburbia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rynmaru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rynmaru/gifts).



> Oh boy. I wrote this very quickly, so don't mind any mistakes I've made. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I tried to use d&d-style narration to set the scene but I don't know if I'll keep it.

_The sun doesn't set until late, in summertime. Even when it's after eight there's still some light to walk home by._

To a chorus of "bye"s, a group of kids, around 11 to 13 years, exited one of the houses. Bikes were picked up off the perfectly-manicured lawn, and cheerful post-session chatter filled the air. 

"Thanks for DM'ing," one of the girls said. She smiled at the teen who'd run the session for them, who ruffled her hair. 

"No problem. Now get lost, I'm gonna take a smoke."

He shut the door behind him, leaving just the kids on the lawn. 

"Hey, Pieck, do you need a lift?" One of the older boys asked. He had his phone out, prepared to call his parents.

The girl who had thanked their Dungeon Master, Pieck, smiled. "No, I'm fine. See you at school." 

She was the first to leave, limping off up the cul-de-sac.

"Hey, um, Annie-" Another boy, already a head taller than his peers, tapped one of his friends on the shoulder. Annie was staring up at one of the first-floor windows, standing away from the rest of the group. At his touch, she spun around, a frown on her face. 

"What?" She asked. The boy played with his hands, eyes not meeting hers. He mumbled something inaudible. "Speak up."

"Do you want to walk home with me?" He asked. Annie turned back to the window. "Um, you don't have to, but you have to walk past my house to go home, right? So, uh, we could talk. Or just walk, I know you don't like talking-"

Annie glared at him, then back to the window. A flash of black hair, and the blinds were closed. 

"Fine." 

He smiled, albeit awkwardly, and slowed his pace to walk alongside Annie. 

"Bye, Bert!" One of his friends waved. 

"Bye Reiner!"

The boy who'd waved smiled at the acknowledgement as he watched Bertholt and Annie leave.

"Can we go _now_?" Another of the kids whined. He was leaning on his bike, face scrunched in annoyance. His brother, the first boy who'd spoken, put his phone away and turned back.

"Okay, fine. Stop whinging, Porky."

His brother cringed at the nickname. 

"Hey, Marcel, wait." 

Marcel turned around, annoyed at being torn between Porco and Reiner. 

"Can I talk to you? Alone?" Reiner asked, hopefully. Marcel looked between his brother and his friend a few times, before relenting.

"Tell mom I'll be a few minutes late," he said. Porco rolled his eyes and mumbled something rude before riding off down the street. 

"What is it?" Marcel asked, turning back to Reiner, who looked down. 

"Well..."

_The sun has set by now. The temperature has dropped, and you can smell a thunderstorm coming in._

The boys took a shortcut through the woods while they talked. Once Reiner started talking, everything came out. It was easy to talk to Marcel. He was the star student, the pride and joy of their school, and on top of that, came through on his student council campaign promise to be approachable. 

"And I'm the first person you've told?" Marcel asked. 

Reiner nodded. "Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Marcel replied. That'd be a dick move on his part. 

"Are you planning on telling anyone else?"

"No," Reiner said quickly. "I don't - people won't leave me alone if anyone else finds out."

"By people, do you mean... anyone in particular?" Marcel looked Reiner in the eye, trying to get the truth out. Reiner shook his head and looked away. 

A noise up ahead caused the boys to pause. 

"Was that another person?" Reiner asked. His voice was shaking, and his eyes were wide. 

"I don't know," Marcel said, concerned. He would have said something to make Reiner feel better, but truth be told, he was scared too. He wasn't going to let Reiner know that, however. Somebody had to be level-headed. "Probably just a deer. Look, we'll walk fast."

They sped up, walking to where they were certain the path lead out. Reiner started to panic as the woods got darker, the temperature dropping further. Whatever was on the path with them hadn't seemed to have left them - or maybe that was just paranoia. Every cracked twig, every owl's hoot, every breath got on his nerves. It didn't help that they'd faced down a necromancer with an undead army in the session they'd just played. 

Reiner nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud noise. _Just thunder._

"The trail usually lets out here," Marcel said. 

"Are we lost?" Reiner asked. Marcel took one look at his panicked face, and decided to just straight up lie. 

"No. I probably just took a wrong turn."

"So that means we're lost."

Damn it. "We'll go back the way we came."

And they turned around to come face to face with the most horrific creature they'd ever seen.

"Run!"

Reiner started bolting before the words were even fully out of Marcel's mouth. That thing, whatever it was, was _not_ a deer. He didn't get a good look at it, but it had seemed twisted. Monstrous. Like one of the illustrations in those handbooks had come to life and was chasing them-

Reiner couldn't see Marcel. He hoped he was behind him, because he sure as hell wasn't turning back now. Not with that _thing_ on their trail.

He wasn't sure how far he ran, but he didn't recognise the surrounding area. Especially when he stumbled onto a gravel driveway. Reiner didn't know that people even lived out here. 

But that was good. If there was a house out here, then that meant Reiner could call for help. Though he wasn't sure who he was supposed to call to deal with a monster in the woods. 

The driveway lead to a cabin. Reiner's heart fell when he saw that there weren't any lights on - did that mean there weren't any people there? - but there was a car in the driveway. He sprinted to the front door and pressed the bell multiple times. He kept looking over his shoulder as he waited for someone to open the door. The creature could be anywhere. 

Reiner nearly fell into the front room when the door was opened suddenly. He looked to the occupant of the house in panic, before blurting out "somebody's chasing me and I think they got my friend already."

And then he saw that it was Annie who had opened the door. 

"Annie? You live here?"

She glared at Reiner. "This isn't funny."

"It's not a joke," Reiner said, out of breath. He felt tears on his face, and silently chastised himself for crying. "I think Marcel's in trouble."

Annie didn't soften her glare, but she let Reiner into the house. "Stay quiet," she said. "My dad's asleep."

Reiner nodded. He'd never met Mr Leonhardt in person, but he'd heard stories. None of them were good.

"Can I use your phone?" He whispered. 

"I don't have one."

"I mean, your home phone." Reiner pointed to the landline phone that was attached to the wall.

"Don't bring the cops here," Annie said, crossing her arms. 

"I won't. I'm gonna see if Marcel has his phone on him." Reiner's hand hovered over the landline, but another person's presence in the room spooked him. He spun around in a panic and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was just Bertholt.

"What are you doing here?" Reiner asked.

"I'm, uh, staying with Annie," Bertholt replied. He noticed Reiner's panicked face. "Are - are you okay?"

Reiner shook his head. "I was chased," he said. "I think it got Marcel."

Bertholt's eyes widened as he pulled his own phone out of his pocket and went into his contacts. The others gathered around him to see the screen. 

_Dialling..._

Still in the forest, hiding behind a log, Marcel picked up his vibrating phone. Why was Bertholt calling him? 

As soon as he pressed _accept_ _call_ , he looked up and saw the creature.

The phone fell to the forest floor as its holder vanished into the air.


	2. Maybe Bad Things Do Happen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids discuss what to do about their missing friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look I'm warning you that this story is not great, it's basically just me rambling with no idea where I'm going and the characterisation is a mess BUT at least it's fun? I hope?

_You don't know where you are. It is like your world, but not. Like another plane. You can see your phone on the ground. Bertholt is speaking through it, almost sobbing. You shout at him, trying to say you're stuck and to call the police, but you aren't sure he can hear you properly. And then a wet noise behind you makes you realise that you have not escaped the monster yet._

"What the _hell_ is that?"

Annie was the first to comment on the strange noise that had come from Bertholt's phone. Bertholt was frantically turning his phone's volume down, and Reiner just continued to cry, hugging Bertholt's side.

The call ended abruptly. Bertholt threw his phone on the kitchen counter.

"Uh, um, I don't know," he mumbled. "Maybe, uh..."

"It was probably just static," Reiner said. "Because... because he's in the woods where there's no reception."

He was telling it to himself more than the others.

"What, what are we, um, going to do?" Bertholt asked. "Should we call the police?"

"No," Annie said hardly. The very thought of going to the police seemed to scare her.

"Well who can we call?" Bertholt gripped Annie's hand, but she took her hand away.

"We'll wait until morning," Reiner said. "And... if Marcel doesn't show up then, _then_ we go to the cops."

Neither of his friends protested. If anything, they were shocked that Reiner was speaking up and making a decision. Without any better ideas, they decided to go with that plan.

_The sun is shining now. Birds are chirping. It seems like a perfect morning, as if there was never any monster at all._

The next morning, Dina Fritz sat up in bed. She squinted as the morning light filtered through her curtains, and looked at the time. 5:34. Plenty of time before she had to be at work. She collapsed back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling before deciding that she was not going back to sleep, and got up. 

Her house was usually quiet of a morning; the perks of having grown-up children. She was not, however, expecting to see her son collapsed on the couch. 

"Aren't you supposed to be at your dad's?" She asked, as Zeke stirred.

"I had a fight with Carla," he said tiredly. Dina nodded in understanding. Zeke didn't get along with his stepmother. Or his father, really. He only spent time at his father's house because he had two half-siblings who adored him. That, and Grisha's house was nicer. 

"How were the kids last night?" She asked. If she remembered correctly, Zeke had run a game of Dungeons and Dragons for the kids he babysat sometimes. "I remember D&D. Did they like it?"

"Yeah, it was okay, I guess," Zeke said. "The kids were fine."

"Well, that's good." Dina sat down on the couch next to her son, and turned the TV on. A morning news program was playing.

_"Reports of power outages across the state are at a record, Brenda, with all of East Paradis being down for an hour last night-"_

"Have you put your resume in for that job at the diner yet?" Dina asked. Zeke shrugged. "Why not? It's good money, plus I know the owner."

"Yeah, well, I haven't done that yet." 

Dina didn't get the chance to press further, because the phone started ringing. She stood up to answer it.

"Hello?"

Zeke watched as she listened to the person on the other end, concerned. 

"It's for you," she said.

\--

At 7 AM, everyone sat gathered in the police station. Reiner was recounting his version of the events of last night, leaving out the part where the monster was _literally_ a monster. Bertholt and Annie interjected occasionally to add a detail that he missed, and Porco just glared at them from where he sat with his parents. The officer who was listening to them didn't seem to care much. 

"We'll put out an alert," the officer said, before shooing the kids out into the foyer to talk to Mr and Mrs Galliard alone. 

Annie was immediately pulled away by her father, mumbling something to her about having boys in her room. Bertholt looked off in the direction of the door, but Reiner gripped his hand tightly. He sure as hell wasn't hanging around alone with Porco, especially not when he was staring at Reiner like he wanted to kill him. Porco hated Reiner on a good day, and he couldn't imagine how amplified the hatred would be now that Reiner was the last person to see his brother alive. If Bertholt was here, then whatever beating was to come would at least be toned down.

"My mom's waiting in the car," Bertholt whispered. 

"Please don't leave."

They shared a pained look before Bertholt pulled away. _I'm_ _sorry_ , he mouthed.

Reiner looked back to where Porco was standing, arms crossed, and mentally prepared himself for the incoming pain. 

"What the fuck do you mean, you left my brother behind?" He asked. 

Reiner didn't know how to justify himself. He shouldn't have to. He didn't have to, because Porco was interrupted by the front door opening and two people loudly talking to each other. They stopped when they saw the kids.

"I'm so sorry about Marcel," Dina said. She gave a grim smile, and Reiner and Porco pretended they hadn't just been fighting. Zeke gave them a tired wave. 

"What are you guys doing here?" Reiner asked. 

"Cops wanna talk to me," Zeke said with a shrug. His mother pulled him over to the plastic chairs and sat down. Reiner shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the carpeted floor. He couldn't see, but he assumed Porco was in a similar boat. 

"So, uh, how's life?" Reiner asked awkwardly. He looked out of the glass doors, searching for his mother's car - Karina had done their fortnightly grocery shopping while Reiner had been talking to the police. 

Dina smiled. "Well, I had a date last week."

"Mom, _no_." Zeke cringed. "I do _not_ need to hear about your new boyfriend."

"He isn't my boyfriend, I just went on a date with him," Dina said with a laugh. At least she was enjoying embarrassing her son. Reiner hoped his mother didn't act like this when she started dating again. 

"I need to leave," Reiner said, as he saw his mom's car pull up. He speedwalked out of the police station and climbed into the front seat. His mother ranted to him the whole time about how he should have been more careful, and how she was so grateful that he hadn't been kidnapped as well. 


	3. Who Are You Going To Call?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the search for Marcel being underway, his friends feel like the cops won't be able to find him. But the kids and cops aren't the only ones on the case.

That evening, Reiner sat at the table with his mother. He picked at his food slowly; he wasn't hungry. The news was on, the reporter talking about Marcel's case.

"It's so awful," Karina said. Reiner hummed in agreement. "I hope they find him soon."

The phone on the hall stand started ringing. Reiner stood up to go and get it.

"Hello, Braun residence, who is it?" He asked, as he always did.

"Reiner?" Bertholt asked. "I think Annie's in trouble. She just called me, said something happened to her and told me to come over."

"And you want me to come over with you? Annie doesn't like me all that much."

"I need you as backup," Bertholt said. "In case something bad happens."

"Yeah, but-" Reiner paused. He didn't want to tell Bertholt that the reason for him not wanting to go around was because he was scared of the monster being in the woods. But Annie lived in the woods, so she was constantly in danger, right? So Reiner should go out and help her. "Okay. I'll ask my mom."

"Mom!" Reiner called, putting his hand over the receiver. "Can I go around to Bertholt's?"

"Now?" Karina looked up from where her eyes were trained on the news report. 

"I'll be back before ten," he said with a grin. "Promise."

"Well, be safe," Karina said. She looked at him sadly. Reiner nodded and raced outside to get his bike, and he rode over to Annie's house.

\--

Levi Ackerman sat in the front seat of his car, rifling through the tabloid magazine he'd picked up at the service station on the way into town. He flicked through it, a look of disdain on his face. 

"Who the hell lets their nine year old get a tattoo?" He said in disgust. Fucking celebrities. Levi threw the magazine down on the seat, done. He looked up and saw his partner coming back to the car with a wide grin on their face.

"What did you find?" Levi asked them. 

"Well," Hanji started, taking in a deep breath and adjusting their glasses, "about twelve years ago a woman named Hekate Maxwell went to the police claiming that the people in Paradis Lab had taken her daughter away from her."

"And did they?" Levi asked, wishing his partner would get to the point.

"Short answer: no. Long answer: they searched the lab and didn't find any babies. Maxwell was a drug addict, and her daughter was a stillbirth, so yeah. Not exactly the most reliable source."

"So why are we still here? She was paranoid. Case closed." 

Hanji took another breath. "You see, strange phenomena have been observed in and around the Paradis area, even as recently as last week. All the power went out in town, and there was that boy that went missing, wasn't there?"

Levi glared at them. "What, the lab is kidnapping kids? Why?"

"I think they're testing drugs. Or the boy saw something the lab was doing and they took him out." They leaned over and pulled two fake FBI badges from the car's glovebox, and excitedly handed one to Levi. "I say we go down and check things out."

Levi stared at the badge, before rolling his eyes and turning the car on. "Fine," he said, and Hanji punched the air.

"Woohoo! Conspiracy busters, let's go!"

"Shut up, four-eyes."

\--

Reiner arrived at Annie's house not long after Bertholt. He and Annie were sitting on the front step.

"What happened?" Reiner asked as he set his bike down on the ground. Annie looked up at him.

"I went into the woods. To look for Marcel," she said. "I found his phone on the ground. It's still there."

"And why didn't you go to the police?" Bertholt asked. "That could be an important clue!"

"I didn't go to the police because I saw something in the woods and it wasn't a deer," Annie snapped. 

Reiner blinked, remembering the creature he'd seen in the woods. "The monster," he breathed.

Bertholt and Annie stared at him. 

"The _monster_?" Bertholt asked, looking at both his friends. Annie didn't seem quite as confused, nodding. 

"It was grey, right? And tall. It's limbs were too long and thin to be human."

Annie nodded again. "Yeah."

Bertholt was only getting more and more confused. "What are you talking about? Marcel was kidnapped by Slenderman, is that what you're saying? But - but Slenderman doesn't, he doesn't exist."

Annie looked at him, entirely seriously. "It wasn't Slenderman. This thing was real."

Bertholt tugged at his hair. "No, no, you're just, you're just kidding. You're just kidding."

"You think we'd both lie to you?" Reiner said. 

"I don't know!" Bertholt shouted. His fingers weaved through his hair, pulling harder. Annie grabbed his hand, pulling it away to try and stop him from pulling his hair out. 

"Look, I called you two here because I'm going back into the woods and I'm not going alone. I need backup." Annie strode over to the kitchen draw, where she pulled out a sharp knife, and a torch. 

"I'm not going into the woods," Reiner said. "The monster could still be out there."

"What if Marcel is still alive? Are you just going to let him get eaten by the monster?"

"Okay, fine." Reiner crossed his arms. "But we need weapons."

Annie took his hand, and dragged him out the back door. Bertholt followed his friends into the back garden, through to a shed near the back. Annie opened it and went in, coming out a minute later with various tools. She handed Bertholt a garden rake, and Reiner a cricket bat. 

"What are these going to do against a monster?" Bertholt asked. He was still hoping that his friends were just pulling a mean-spirited prank on him. 

"Use your imagination, Bert," Reiner said. "A rake could be good."

"Yeah, I guess." He gripped the rake's wooden handle, praying not to get splinters. 

He followed Annie and Reiner into the woods, nearly jumping at every cracked twig. It looked like Reiner wasn't having much fun either, even more skittish than him. Bertholt leaned the rake over his shoulder, and offered Reiner a hand. The gesture made Reiner smile, and he took Bertholt's hand in his. 

"Your hands are sweaty," Reiner whispered. Bertholt nearly pulled away - _damn it Reiner why would you bring up the thing I'm insecure about_ \- but Reiner smiled again, and Bertholt felt all weird in his stomach. Was he going to throw up? No, he didn't feel like he was going to throw up. 

"I guess it's because of the uh, the monster we're hunting," Bertholt said. 

"It's okay," Reiner said. "I'm scared too."

"Yeah I could, I could tell." Bertholt bit his lip. 

"Guys, shut up," Annie whispered. She turned around and frowned at them. "I can hear something."

They went quiet, trying to hear whatever Annie had. She inched towards a bush, and gently moved back a part of it. 

Nothing. Annie dropped her arm, disappointed. There was nothing nearby. 

That was, until Reiner felt something near the back of his neck. It felt like breathing. Scared, he spun around to see what it was - and screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey really quick question do you guys prefer mobuhan or eruri. it's important


	4. Wherein Ymir Is A Dick To The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids bring the strange girl back to their house, in the hopes that she knows what's going on.

Zeke didn't normally get up until midday on the holidays, but he'd been woken up early by what turned out to be a prank call. Then he'd gone back to an x-box game he'd forgotten about months ago, and then his mother came home.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" He asked.

"I left early," Dina said. "I got a call from your dad."

Oh, great. Anything that started with that sentence was bound to be emotionally draining.

"What did he say?" Zeke said, now pausing the game.

"Hannes was found dead last night."

Zeke tried to recall the name. "Didn't he own that bar just out of town?"

"Yeah," Dina nodded. "He was one of Carla's friends. Can you go over there, talk to the kids, make sure they're alright?"

She smiled sweetly, trying to convince him.

"Okay, fine," he said, rolling his eyes and turning the game off. The kids wouldn't need him to "comfort" them or whatever, they'd dealt with grief before, but it'd make his mother happy to see him doing something.

\--

They'd taken the freckled girl back to Annie's house, and barricaded her bedroom door yet again. She was currently sitting on the bed, making faces while Reiner asked her questions.

"She can't stay here," Annie said.

"Well I can't take her to my house, and Reiner's mom would ask questions," Bertholt replied. He'd been wringing his hands nervously ever since they encountered the girl in the woods. "Do you think she escaped from a hospital? I mean, her hair's all cut off and she's wearing a hospital gown."

"Or a cult," Annie mumbled. 

"Do you have a name?" Reiner asked the girl. She shrugged. "What do you mean you don't have a name? Everyone has a name. What do your parents call you?"

The girl had a puzzled expression. "Par-ents?"

"You don't have a name _or_ parents?" Reiner asked in astonishment. "Guys, she doesn't have a name or parents!"

"What are par-ents?" The girl asked.

"Like your mom or dad. They're the ones that made you. Or sometimes just the ones that look after you."

The girl started laughing. It was a mean laugh, one that caught the attention of Bertholt and Annie.

"I know what parents are, dumbass!" The girl said. "I was tricking you!"

She continued to laugh, finding her prank so funny that she fell back on the bed.

"What were you doing out in the woods?" Reiner continued. The girl's laughter faded before she managed to sit up again. She changed her posture so that she was leaning on her elbow.

"Running."

"From who? The monster?" Reiner asked.

 _"From the monster?"_ The girl repeated mockingly. "Yeah. But also from the bad guys. They killed the food man."

"The... food man?" Reiner looked over to Bertholt, who shrugged. Annie's arms were crossed, and she was scowling at the girl.

"The man that gave me food. He called the bad guys and they killed him." The girl leaned back. "That's why you can't call the bad guys."

"We need to talk," Annie said. "Alone."

Reiner and Bertholt were pulled out of the bedroom.

"I can't believe we just walked straight into a government conspiracy," Bertholt said, still wringing his hands. "Did you hear what she said? She's running away from people and they're going to kill us."

"Well," Reiner said, straightening his back. "I'll tell you what we're not going to do. We're not going to let the bad guys or whatever get her. She knows about the monster, right? So maybe she can help us find Marcel."

"Who put you in charge?" Annie mumbled. Bertholt was too busy watching Reiner in surprise to reprimand her. That was the second time he'd come up with a plan. It was somewhat out of character.

"Somebody has to be in charge," Reiner said, "and it's not going to be you or Bertholt."

"Well I don't want her in my room," Annie said again.

"Yeah, she is, uh, kinda rude," Bertholt said.

"But she knows about the monster!" Reiner cried.

Annie crossed her arms.

"And, if Annie's dad finds her in the house he might call the people who are looking for her. And then we might be in danger," Bertholt added. "We have to hide her somewhere."

"But where?" Reiner asked. "We can't take her to your house."

"I think the safest place is yours," Bertholt said. "If we said she was our friend, maybe your mom might let her be."

The door clicked open, and the girl poked her head around. "I can hear you guys," she said. "And I have a name."

"I thought you didn't have a name," Annie said, giving her a nasty glare.

"I never said that," the girl said. "And I was tricking. I was being funny."

Annie kept her glower, but said nothing else.

"So, what is your name?" Bertholt asked. The girl opened the door and stepped out into the hall with them.

"At the lab, they always called me Ymir," she said.

"Is that all?"

"What, you wanted more? I don't have a last name." Ymir rolled her eyes. "I'm just Ymir."

"Wait, you said you were in a lab?" Bertholt asked, eyes wide. "Oh my god, this _is_ a conspiracy."

Ymir shrugged. "I guess."

Terror shot through the kids as the front door squeaked open. Annie's dad was home.

"Shit!" Bertholt said, pulling Reiner and Ymir into Annie's room, and putting the chair back in place.

"We left Annie," Reiner whispered.

"It's her house!"

Reiner couldn't argue with that. Bertholt ducked under the bed, while Reiner pulled Ymir into the closet.

"This is a big closet," Reiner remarked quietly. "I wish my closet was this nice."

"I wish it was big enough so that I don't have to feel you breathing on me," Ymir spat.

"Sorry."

They stayed in that awkward position until Bertholt opened the closet, and gestured silently towards the window. With only a bit of awkwardness, the three of them climbed out of it, Bertholt removing the chair barricade before leaving. 

"We're going to your house, right?" Bertholt asked.

"Uh... sure!" Reiner said. "We could hide Ymir in the attic."

"What's an attic?"

"Uh, yeah. We could do that," Bertholt said, ignoring Ymir's question. "Yeah, that's smart, actually."

They went to where they'd left the bikes, and picked them up. Ymir was given the choice whose bike she would sit on the end of, and she chose Reiner as, quote, "he doesn't smell like sweat." They biked back to Reiner's house and climbed in through his bedroom window. 

"I need to go back home," Bertholt said. "But... call me if anything happens, right? With the phone or... or with those walkie-talkies we got when we were nine."

Reiner remembered them. They were semi-crap, but he'd have to try and see if they still worked. 

"Bye," Reiner said. He smiled, waving at Bertholt as he left. 

"Do you want me to sleep under the bed?" Ymir asked. Reiner turned around, remembering that he had to look after her. This might be hard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for leaving yall,, I just got hit by the Big Sad n had to work backstage at my sister's show and honestly I forgot about this. Hopefully this makes sense.


	5. Be They Do Crimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Hanji impersonate FBI agents to get information about the lab.

"Hi, we're here on behalf of the FBI, here to talk about your son?"

Mrs Galliard regarded the two agents standing on her doorstep. They looked a little young to be agents, but who was she to judge? They were the ones with badges.

"Why is the FBI here?" She asked, starting to worry. "I thought this was a local investigation."

A look crossed the faces of both agents - the shorter had a flash of annoyance in his eyes, the taller pressed their lips together in what was almost a smile. 

"Oh, it is, but we have reason to believe that there might be more to the story, that's all," they said. Mrs Galliard was having a hard time discerning their gender; it shouldn't have bothered her, especially considering there were far more important things at hand.

"Can we come inside?" The other agent asked. 

"Well, I suppose," she said. She let the agents inside, leading them to the lounge room. "My husband is working, so you won't be able to talk to him, I'm sorry."

"No problem," the taller agent said, sitting down on the couch. They seemed to be the more cheerful of the duo. Their partner sat beside them, giving Mrs Galliard a cold stare. 

"Can I get you any tea, or anything?" She offered. The taller agent shook their head, sliding their glasses back up on their nose as they slipped down. 

"Green?" The shorter agent asked. 

"Um, it's just store brand, I'm not sure," Mrs Galliard said. The man let out a disappointed breath and sat back.

"So, Mrs Galliard, your son Marcel disappeared in the woods, correct?" The taller agent asked. She suddenly realised that she didn't know their names. 

"Yes, he did. He and his friend Reiner were walking through there when they started being chased." She rested her hands in her lap as she recounted the story the police had told her. 

"Hmm, alright." The taller agent scribbled something down on their notepad. 

"Who was this friend?" The shorter agent asked. "Reiner?"

Mrs Galliard's train of thought was broken as Porco came downstairs, complaining about something. 

"Who is this?" He asked, gesturing to the agents.

"Honey, these are..." 

"Agent Hanji and Agent Ackerman," the taller agent, Hanji, said. 

"Agent Hanji and Agent Ackerman," Mrs Galliard repeated. "They're with the FBI. Asking about Marcel."

"Oh." Porco crossed his arms. 

The kitchen phone started ringing. Mrs Galliard stood up. "You don't mind if I take this, right?"

The agents shook their heads, and she left to answer it. Porco just stared at the agents. They didn't look like any agents he'd seen before.

"So were you and your brother close?" Agent Hanji asked. Agent Ackerman leaned back in his seat, glaring into Porco with eagle eyes.

"Not really," Porco said. "He always blew me off to spend time with his stupid friends. Like the night he went missing, he told me to go ahead while he talked to Reiner. And then he didn't come home and the next morning Reiner's spouting some crap about how they were "chased.""

Agent Hanji raised their eyebrows in mock surprise. "Huh. So I guess you and this Reiner guy aren't very good friends. Could you tell me about him?"

"Well, he's a loser. He always stares at the other boys in gym." 

"Good for him," Agent Ackerman mumbled. 

"So Reiner saw what happened to Marcel, right?" Agent Hanji asked. 

Porco nodded. "You should probably talk to him. I can't guarantee he won't cry, though."

Agent Hanji scribbled another thing in their notepad, then flipped it shut and stood up. "Well, thank you for your time," they said. Agent Ackerman stood up as well, and handed Porco a card.

"Call us if you decide there's anything else you want to tell us," he said, with a cold glare. 

With that, the agents left.

"Well shit," Levi said, slamming the car door and leaning back in his seat. "I guess we have to go and talk to this Reiner kid now, huh?"

"Yep," Hanji said. They shoved the badges back in the glovebox. "Do you know his name?"

"Uh, Reiner?" Levi said sarcastically. He was often awestruck by his partner's odd thought processes. Just because Hanji Zoe was academically smart didn't mean the shit in their brain made sense to anyone else. 

" _No_ , I mean his _last_ name. So we can find him and talk to him." Hanji said this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Great," Levi mumbled, starting the car. "Back to the library."

\--

Karina conveniently went out that day, which meant that Ymir didn't have to hide in the attic or under Reiner's bed. Reiner made breakfast for her, which she wolfed down as if she hadn't eaten in days. Possibly not.

"We need to find you some clothes," Reiner said, as Ymir tackled her third slice of vegemite toast. He looked down at the filthy hospital gown she was wearing. "How long have you had that thing on?"

"Since I left the lab, which was about... a lot of days ago. Two nights?" She sprayed toast everywhere as she spoke.

"Two days? Yeah, I have some clothes you could borrow."

Reiner ran to his room, where he grabbed a worn t-shirt and a pair of shorts he never wore. He would have used some of his mother's clothes, but she would notice that they were missing, and besides, even though Ymir was tall, she was skinny. She'd be swimming in adult clothes. 

Reiner went back out into the kitchen, but Ymir wasn't there. She was instead in the lounge room, staring at a picture on the dresser.

"Are you looking at... oh, yeah, that's me and my friends. You met Bertholt and Annie last night, and that's Marcel, he's the one that the monster took."

Ymir turned to Reiner, blinking slowly. "I know him."

"What?" Reiner cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean - were you there when the monster kidnapped him?"

Ymir turned back to the photo. "No. But I've seen him. He's in the other world."

\--

_It's cold. It's so cold. You've done a decent job of evading the monster so far, but your attempts at communicating with your friends in the above world have been fruitless._

_You don't know how much longer you can go in here before you run out of food._


	6. Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ymir explains what happened to Marcel. Porco sees something strange. The author doesn't know what she's doing with Zeke's POV.

Reiner had called Bertholt and Annie over to his house, and they came quickly. The fan was going in the corner, blowing cold air around the room.

"What did she do?" Annie asked, accusingly. Ymir narrowed her eyes, and sat down in front of a scene she'd set up with the D&D miniatures that Reiner kept at his house.

"That's you," she said, pointing at the figures. The other three gathered around to look. "We live here."

Ymir placed another figure on the board.

"The demogorgon?" Bertholt asked. Ymir picked up both the demogorgon mini and one of the player characters, then flipped the game board over, placing them down.

"Upside down," Ymir mumbled.

"So, the demogorgon took Marcel into this upside down place?" Bertholt asked again.

"No, she just used the mini to represent it," Annie said. "That's not the actual demogorgon."

"I know, I just - so this monster took Marcel into an alternate universe?"

"Or another plane," Reiner said. "You know what the handbook said about planar travel?"

"How are we supposed to get him back?" Bertholt had started wringing his hands again. "We can't exactly travel through dimensions like the demogorgon can. The monster! I can't believe that there's a monster and it's real! Holy hell-"

Reiner took one of Bertholt's hands in his, to try and stop his panicking. He didn't offer any words of comfort, but he didn't need to. Bertholt calmed down quickly.

"How are we gonna..." Bertholt squeezed his hand tighter. "How are we gonna get him back from there?"

The fan had the unfortunate effect of knocking over the miniatures every few seconds, which was annoying Ymir. She looked to it, frustrated, and it stopped with a "pop"ping noise. The kids looked at it in awe.

"Did you just do that?" Reiner asked. Ymir nodded. "Holy _shit_."

"Is that why the - the people from the lab are after you?" Bertholt asked, pointing at the fan.

"Pretty much," Ymir said. She leaned back on her elbows. The three kids looked at each other, an idea forming between them.

\--

Eren _wasn't_ taking Hannes's death well. He'd hidden himself under the covers and refused to talk to anyone, not even Mikasa. She was certainly taking it a lot better than her brother, but she'd lost her parents less than two years ago.

"I'm sure you'll be able to talk to him," Carla had told Zeke with a forced smile.

"I'm sure I can," Zeke answered, matching the sweet venom. He climbed the stairs and knocked on Eren's bedroom door.

"Go away!" He heard, muffled by the door.

"Well that's no way to talk to your favourite brother," Zeke said. The door opened in a flash, and he was pulled inside. Eren had been crying, but his eyes had lit up with excitement at seeing his brother. "Your mom said you weren't talking to anyone."

Eren shook his head. Zeke came to sit on Eren's bed with him.

"I heard about Hannes," he said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Eren shook his head. Zeke sighed, and ruffled his hair.

"Talk to your parents, alright?" Zeke instructed. "Or Mikasa. Or one of your other friends. Like that Armin kid. It's better to share pain, yeah?"

Eren nodded sadly. Zeke clapped him on the shoulder and stood up. "I have to go now," he said.

"For work?"

Zeke grimaced. "Yeah," he said, knowing full well that he didn't have a job. "I'll see you around."

He walked downstairs, passing Mikasa on the way. She was sitting at the top of the stairs, watching Carla talk to one of their neighbours downstairs. She looked up when Zeke neared her.

"Is Eren going to be alright?" She asked. There was a look of worry in her eyes that wasn't normally there.

"Yeah," Zeke said. "He's gonna be fine."

At the affirmation, she stood up and ran to her brother's bedroom door. Zeke heard him shout in protest, and decided to leave.

"I'm going now," he announced when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Carla turned to look at him with that fake-sweet smile, which he returned.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Bye, honey!" Carla turned back to her friend. "My husband's son. From his _first_ marriage," she explained.

"Yeah, bye, bitch," he mumbled under his breath when he shut the door. They didn't like each other.

\--

Porco was having the worst summer ever. Not only had his brother gone missing, his parents had locked him inside out of fear that something would happen to _him_ as well. And not to mention all the questioning from cops. He was stuck inside his home with only a couple of books and a playstation he didn't want to touch because technically it belonged to Marcel.

The phone started ringing.

Porco waited for his mother or father to answer, but they didn't. Clearly, they were both out. So, annoyed, he got up off the couch and answered it.

"Hello?" He asked. It was probably just a telemarketer, so he was prepared to hang up.

He wasn't prepared for silence.

"Hello? Who is this?" Porco asked again. "If this is a prank call I'm calling the police. You can get in trouble for that."

It sounded like someone was breathing heavily on the other end. They sounded distressed.

"Look, last chance or I'm hanging up-"

And then, a faint sound could be heard.

 _"Porco!"_ Marcel called out.

Porco dropped the phone in shock - both mental and physical. The phone had electrocuted him. 

"Oh my god," he said. "Ohhh my god. Shit shit _shit_."

He grabbed the phone again, but it was literally fried. Smoking, too.

That was Marcel. That was his brother. What the hell was going on-

The lights in the house went out. Oh _no_. Porco didn't want to go outside and fix the fuses. But he didn't have to, because one of the lights turned back on. Just one, right at the end of the hall. It seemed to be beckoning him towards it. Porco didn't resist the call of the light. When he reached it, it flickered and faded. How weird.

And something in the wallpaper moved. That caught Porco's attention, being far more interesting than the light. The light became restless, trying to get his attention back, but failed.

The thing in the wallpaper moved. Porco wondered what the hell it was. Was it a rat?

The wallpaper-thing reached out at him, like a hand, and Porco didn't have any time to ponder what it was as he ran, shouting, out of the front door.


	7. Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids research ways to find Marcel. The adults investigate a local death.

"Hey, I found him," Hanji said, pointing at one of the records spread across the table in front of them. Hanji and Levi had spent a solid two hours poring over documents in the Paradis town library, trying to find the last name of this Reiner kid, so they could talk to him and maybe get a lead on where Marcel Galliard had gone. That was their job, after all. Solving conspiracies.

"You've found him?" Levi asked, looking up from the document he was looking at. Hanji turned around their document, a school yearbook.

"Reiner Braun. Do you think it's the same kid?"

Levi took a look at the photograph. "Probably. He's in the same class as Galliard, right?"

"Yep." Hanji popped the "p" sound playfully, and shut the yearbook. "Now all we've gotta do is find his address, should be easy with his last name." They started stacking all of the documents on the table.

"Great." Levi noticed the radio he kept to pick up on police signals was going off, and picked it up.

_"Uh, yeah, at Hannes' diner, I'm thinking a possible suicide, but there's no weapon nearby-"_

Hanji looked up at Levi.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" They asked.

"Suspicious as hell death. Of course I am."

The two of them gave the documents back to the receptionist, thanking her for her help, and left the library. Levi nearly knocked over a tall kid outside.

"Watch it, kid," he said. The boy stammered out some apology he didn't listen to. He and Hanji had a mission, and he couldn't spend any time coddling brats.

"What a loser," Annie mumbled as the two people got into their car and drove off.

"It's nothing, really," Bertholt said, still wringing his hands nervously. "Look, come on, we have a mission."

"Yeah, a _mission_."

Annie and Bertholt walked into the library by each other's side. Bertholt was sweating, unsure what to do with his hands, but Annie seemed totally bored by their quest. They stopped in front of the reception desk, nervous. Bertholt looked to Annie, hoping she'd take the initiative and ask the librarian for help. She just looked at him, also expecting him to do the same.

"Can you do it?" Bertholt whispered. "Please?"

Annie furrowed her brows. "That's not a good way to treat a lady."

 _Oh, as if you know how to treat a lady, miss stare-through-the-window_ , was what Bertholt didn't say, because he knew that that was a sore spot for Annie. Instead, he wiped his hands on his jumper, swallowed his fear, and stepped forward.

"Um, ma'am," he said quietly. The librarian didn't notice him, despite him being especially tall for his age. He cleared his throat. "Ma'am, I'm, uh, looking for books on-"

The librarian looked up, regarding him with her hawk eyes. He gulped. "I'm looking for books on alternate universes. Like, the scientific theory on it."

The librarian stared at him disdainfully. Bertholt turned around and tried to look angrily at Annie, but she just shrugged.

"You'd want 501 or 530-539," the librarian said in her dry voice. Bertholt turned back around and nodded to Annie.

"Um, thank you," he whispered, then took off in the direction of the shelves. They found the science shelf and split up; Annie looking for books marked 501 that looked relevant, and Bertholt looking in the 530 to 539 section. He decided he'd be a gentleman and take the larger section.

"Physics," he mumbled, looking at the books on the shelf. Surely one of them had something about dimensional travel. He was poked in the side by something sharp. "Ow."

Annie poked him with the book she'd found again. "I'm going to sit down."

Bertholt nodded, and grabbed a book on modern physics. They had a lot of reading to do.

\--

Levi and Hanji arrived at the crime scene quickly, pulling up in the diner carpark.

"FBI," Hanji explained to one of the cops, flashing their badge.

"Funny, I don't recall calling for the FBI," the officer said. She squinted, then shrugged. "I'm guessin' you're here to see the body."

Levi nodded curtly. The officer took them into the diner, ducking under the police tape. She handed them both a pair of plastic gloves, which they put on.

"Yikes, he's been dead a while," Hanji mumbled.

"Yep, at least two days," the officer said. "We think it might be suicide via gunshot, but since there's no weapon, it might have been foul play."

"Who'd kill him, though?" Levi asked. "A jealous ex? Shady government cover-up?"

"That's what we want to know," the officer said. "Hannes wasn't really disliked by anyone. God, it's so awful, all these horrible things happening at once."

Levi and Hanji exchanged a glance. _Connected? Connected._

"Do y'reckon it's got anything to do with the Galliard case?" Hanji asked. The officer shrugged, unsure.

"I don't see how it could be, unless you're suggesting Marcel killed this guy," she said with a laugh.

"Or his kidnapper," Levi offered.

"Fair point," the officer said. She put her hands on her hips. "I'll leave you two agents to it, I suppose."

She left, leaving the two alone with the corpse.

\--

Reiner and Ymir sat together in the front room of his house, talking.

"How long have you been able to do things like that, with your mind?" He asked.

"All my life, I think," Ymir said. She was leaning back on the reclining chair, staring at the ceiling.

"Was it the people from the lab who gave you the powers?" Reiner asked again.

"Maybe. They worshipped me, 'cause I could do that and..." Ymir trailed off. She furrowed her brows, memories surfacing.

_Escorted out of her quarters, dressed in a new dress for the occasion - a basic cotton that might as well have been silk. The adults at the lab gathered around her, trying to touch even the hem of her dress. She smiled despite the fear of what was to come. She was brought up to a stage and the man who she thought of as her father made a speech that she didn't bother listening to. Something about going farther than they'd ever gone before. The other adults cheered, and then it was time. Time to be put in the tank, to spy on someone across the world. The icy cold water. The darkness. The other place._

"Ymir!"

She snapped out of her memory, panicking. Reiner was shaking her, scared.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You spaced out."

Ymir blinked. "I'm fine," she lied. 


	8. The Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adults question Reiner about Marcel.

Porco didn't tell his parents about the strange event that had occurred in the house. The power was back on when he went back inside, and there was no sign of any monster in the walls.

"Oh no, what happened to the phone?" His mother asked when she saw the charred plastic mess.

"I don't know," Porco lied. His mother wouldn't believe him if he told her the truth, that he'd heard his brother shout and then the lights went off and something reached out of the wall.

He couldn't sleep that night. He was on edge, scared that the thing would come back, and/or reach onto the bed and grab his exposed ankle. Plus, he was constantly thinking about the call. It sounded like Marcel had been in the background. What did that mean? Did that mean Marcel had been kidnapped and was being held somewhere?

Porco jumped when his clock radio turned on unexpectedly. He sat up and turned it off. Odd. It was summer, his alarm wasn't even set. He laid back down again, trying to go back to sleep.

The radio turned on yet again. Porco sat up in annoyance, and turned it off again. He didn't even have the time to lie back down before the radio turned on again.

Behind the static, Porco could hear a familiar voice. It sounded just like Marcel. 

"It's you, isn't it?" He asked. And then the power went out, Porco's dad yelling from downstairs.

\--

"But there was this kid with'im, see," the old man said.

""Kid?"" Levi asked, lifting his gaze from the notebook he was writing in. He looked at Hanji, who was thinking the same thing. "Describe them."

The old man they were interviewing set his drink back on the table, put his hands in his lap, and continued. "I'd say he was maybe twelve or so, real dirty lookin', in this hospital gown or somethin'. His hair looked like it'd been cut off real quick. It was brown too, the hair. Hannes caught him stealin' food in the kitchen."

"Alright, thank you for your time," Levi said. He pushed their card over to the man, and stood up. "Call us if you remember anything else."

The man nodded. "Glad to help, agents. Hannes was a good friend. May God rest his soul."

Levi and Hanji left the bar the old man was sitting in, and went out to their car.

"So, it was Marcel at the diner?" Hanji asked.

"Well, he matched the description alright. How many other missing kids look like that?"

"Well, the majority of people around here do have brown hair-" Hanji paused their ramble to see Levi's disapproving stare. "Right. Yeah. Why don't we check out the lab or something?"

"Uh, or talk to that Braun kid. Before the lab kills us or whatever. He's probably got some dirt on them."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense, yeah. Come on!"

\--

Bertholt and Annie came back to Reiner's house that evening, neither being any the wiser about interdimensional travel.

"Can you travel between worlds?" Bertholt asked Ymir, who was fiddling with the TV remote. She shook her head. "Well, can you tell us how?"

"No," Ymir said. "I don't know how it works, it just does."

"Well," Bertholt said, "do you think you could help us find Marcel in some other way? Or the monster, what if when we find it we find Marcel?"

"That's not a good idea," Annie said, from the corner she was standing in.

"Yeah, we don't want to lure the monster to us or anything," Reiner added. "It's scary powerful, it could eat us or zap us into another dimension."

"Well, we _would_ be able to find Marcel that way," Bertholt mumbled.

"Yeah, or we could die-"

There was a knocking on the door

"Shit," Bertholt said. He looked at Ymir, and grabbed her arm. He and Annie dragged her up the hallway, while Reiner went to answer the door.

Opening the door revealed two adults in suits.

"Hi," one of the adults said. They smiled at him and flashed a badge that he didn't get a good look at. "We're here to ask you a few questions about your friend Marcel. This _is_ Reiner Braun, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah," Reiner said. "I've already spoken to the cops, though."

"FBI," the other adult said. "Agents Ackerman and Hanji. Got a moment?"

"Yeah," Reiner said, letting the agents in. He turned down the hall to see Bertholt peeking around the bedroom door. Reiner drew a hand across his throat, signalling for Bertholt to stay hidden. Bertholt nodded, understanding, and hid.

"So you and this kid were friends, right?" Agent Ackerman asked. He sat on the arm of one of the lounge chairs. "At least, that's what his brother said."

"You guys have spoken to Porco?" Reiner asked.   
  
Agent Ackerman's eyes widened in surprise, but his expression remained flat and only semi-interested. "Is that really his name? Poor kid."

Agent Hanji sat on the seat of the chair, opening their notebook. "So, Mister Braun, how close were you and Marcel?"

Reiner thought back to the shortcut through the woods, and the things Reiner had spilled to Marcel. God, it felt so long ago. It barely mattered now. Of course, the thought still lingered in the back of his mind, but it was far from the most important thing at the moment.

"We were... good friends, I guess," Reiner said.

"Hmm," Hanji said, scribbling that down. "And the two of you took a shortcut through the woods when you were attacked?"

"Yeah," Reiner said, after some consideration. Agent Ackerman narrowed his eyes.

"Did, by any chance," Agent Hanji continued, "the shortcut pass by the Paradis laboratory?"

Reiner furrowed his brows. That was a weird question... and now he thought about it, the lab was close to the path. Why did the agents want to know about it?

There was a radio attached to Agent Ackerman's hip that, at that very moment, crackled. He picked it up and made sure it was in tune, then listened.

_"I'm at the dam, yeah, they found a body but we don't know it's his-"_

Body? Dam? Was this about... Marcel?

The agents exchanged a knowing glance, then hurriedly stood up.

"Mister Braun, thank you for your time, but we need to go now. We'll come back in the morning to question you further." Agent Hanji threw a card in Reiner's direction, which he dodged. It fluttered to the ground. The agents gathered their things and rushed out the door.

Reiner watched them leave, then ran back to his room and opened the door.

"What did they want?" Bertholt asked. He was at Reiner's side in a flash, wringing his hands like he always did when he was uncomfortable.

"Questions about Marcel," Reiner said. "They got a call saying to go to the dam. I think they found something."

"You think they found Marcel?" Annie stood up and joined the conversation, leaving Ymir sitting on the bed, watching them in interest.

"I don't know," Reiner answered. "Come on. Let's follow them to the dam."

He nodded, and the other three followed him out of the house and picked up the bikes they'd left on the lawn.

"I really- I really think we should be probably, um, probably going home," Bertholt said. His stutter had come back.

"But we have to see what's going on," Reiner said.

Bertholt grimaced. "Annie, you agree right? That we have to go home?"

"My dad stopped caring if I came home at night," Annie said with a shrug. She mounted her bike, and rode off in the direction of the dam. Bertholt gave Reiner the look he had whenever they did something that was against the rules, but mounted his bike as well.

"Hurry up, let's go," Ymir said impatiently. Reiner blinked, then let her get on the back of his bike. She held on to his waist as he rode.

As they rode out of town and into the bush, Reiner thought about the call and its implications. Was Marcel dead? No, he couldn't be. They'd probably found him, and they wouldn't have to travel between dimensions to rescue him after all!

But, as they approached the dam, discarded their bikes and hid behind a fire engine, their hearts fell.

Because there were the cops, dragging a limp body out of the water. Reiner recognised that shirt - despite the water damage, it was identical to the one Marcel had worn the night he had gone missing.

"He - he might not be dead," Bertholt said. "He might be sleeping?"

But he was just saying it to convince himself.

"Poor thing," one of the paramedics said. The kids hid behind the truck further. "He's been dead for a while."

Reiner grabbed a hold of the side of the fire engine, trying to stop the tears that were stinging his eyes. he turned around to see how his friends were reacting, hoping that he'd just heard the paramedics wrong. But no, they were equally as shocked. Bertholt was clawing at the collar of his jumper, distraught and biting his lip. Tears were spilling down Annie's face silently, a hand at her mouth to stop any sobbing. And Ymir... she was looking down at her feet, absolute disbelief on her face.

"You said he was still alive!" Reiner shouted. Tears were no longer a possibility but a reality, falling to the ground and leaving tiny pools in the dirt.

"I thought he was," Ymir replied. Her voice sounded pathetic, nothing like the high-and-mighty tones she'd used before.

Reiner didn't want to hear it. He spun around and walked back to where he'd dropped his bike, crying the whole time.

Because Marcel was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I know what I'm doing with this? No, no I don't.


	9. The Plea For Help

It was hard trying to pretend that it was the first time Reiner was hearing the news, but he thought he put on a good act for his mother. She seemed convinced.

The rest of that evening was spent in his room, crying into his pillow. He couldn't believe it. Marcel was dead. He was dead.

He was shaken awake the next morning. Ymir was standing over him, holding the walkie-talkie.

"Go away," Reiner said. He turned over. Ymir poked him in the side. "I said, go away."

_"Hello? Is anyone there?"_

Reiner sat up immediately, staring at the radio.

 _"Please, it's coming after me."_ Yes, that was him. That was Marcel's voice. Reiner looked up at Ymir. She had a nosebleed, tears in her eyes.

Reiner grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Marcel, I can hear you, over."

Nothing. The connection had been lost, but Reiner didn't care.

"Was that him?" He asked. Ymir nodded. "So he isn't..?"

Ymir shook her head.

\--

Porco was sitting on his house's front porch. The day had passed in a blur. His parents hadn't let him see Marcel's body, so he couldn't believe it was true. His brother couldn't be dead. He couldn't. Any moment now Marcel would walk out the front door and offer him an icy pole.

"Hey."

Porco looked up. Standing in front of him, a box tucked under her arm, stood Pieck. She had a tired pity-smile on her face.

"Can I sit?" She asked. Porco frowned, but moved over so there was space.

"Are your... legs feeling better?" He asked. He wasn't sure what the protocol was for asking about chronic diseases or whatever.

"They're better," Pieck said. "For now."

"Don't bother saying you're sorry about my brother," Porco said. He crossed his arms, and side-glared at his acquaintance. "You wouldn't be the first."

"Actually, I'm here because of your call," Pieck said, matter-of-factly. She put the box on her lap so Porco could see it.

"Is that a ouija board?" He asked. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"I know, I know. But you said Marcel was talking to you through your radio, right? So maybe he's a ghost. Maybe he's trying to contact us. Don't you want to hear what he has to say?"

There was something in Porco that told him he should be offended. Marcel's body had just been found, this was no time to be screwing around with ouija boards. But there was the part of him who really did believe Marcel was trying to reach out to him.

\--

Ymir was sitting down, holding the radio. Reiner and Bertholt and Annie were sat around her in a semicircle, listening to the sound of whimpering coming from the walkie-talkie.

"You can hear it, right?" Reiner asked, desperate for one of his friends to agree with him.

"Yeah," Annie said. Of all of them, she looked the worst. She looked like she was wearing the same clothes as last night, and there had been a twig in her hair that Bertholt had pulled out. "Yeah, I can hear a baby crying."

"No, it's Marcel," Reiner insisted. "That's what he sounds like. And earlier, we picked up his voice. It's him."

"You picked up the baby monitor from next door," Annie said.

"Ymir heard him speak too!" Reiner said. The girl in question just put the radio on the floor and wiped her bloody nose with the back of her hand, frowning at the blood.

"Are you sure we're on the right channel?" Bertholt asked. He hated it when his friends fought. He never knew which side to pick.

Reiner shook his head. "I don't think it matters," he said. "I think she's channelling him. Somehow."

"Oh, like in _X-men_ ," Bertholt said. Reiner nodded in agreement, and Annie frowned. Oh no, now Bertholt was on her bad side and she wouldn't want to hang out with them anymore.

"They pulled his body out of the water," Annie said. "You saw it too. He's dead."

"But what if he isn't!" Reiner exclaimed. "What if he's still... trapped in the shadow realm or whatever?"

"Yeah, I don't think he's dead," Ymir said. It was the first time she'd spoken this morning.

"All we have to do is find him. We can do that," Reiner finished. He looked back at the radio. "We might need a stronger signal."

"Well where do we find _that_?" Annie asked.

Bertholt blinked, realising. "Mrs Fausti at school has that long-range radio," he said. The other three looked at him.

"Of course," Reiner said with a smile. "I could kiss you! Come on, let's go!"

He stood up, pulling Bertholt along with him.

"First of all, how do we get into the school?" Annie asked.

"It's open for students over the holidays," Bertholt said with a shrug.

"And my second point, _she_ isn't a student." Annie pointed at Ymir, who frowned.

"We can pretend," Reiner said. Bertholt nodded in agreement, but, as he looked at Ymir, he understood that Ymir wasn't the most conspicuous of people. Plus, the bad guys or whatever were after her.

So he knew what needed to be done.

Bertholt dropped Karina's makeup bag on the bed, in front of Ymir. She scowled at the brushes and powders in it, frowning whenever Bertholt poked her with one. He had some idea what he was doing, having seen his mother's morning makeup routine done countless times. Rather than deal with lipstick, Bertholt pulled out the cherry chapstick he always kept in his pocket. Annie had told him that her lips get dry sometimes, so he'd bought a lip balm in case of emergencies.

In the attic, Reiner and Annie had looked through the old clothes chest for something that might fit Ymir. They'd decided on a red-brown dress that could be tied around the waist and an old blonde dress-up wig.

"How do I look?" Ymir asked, coming out of the closet she'd changed in. The three of them stared at her with wide eyes. She looked... awkward. Out of place in the cartoonish wig and dress. The foundation had been caked on to cover up her freckles.

"Good," Reiner said. "You look good."

Bertholt nodded hastily. "Yeah. Um. Good."

Annie crossed her arms. "Can we go now?" She asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not dead yet you guys... just forgot about this fic for a bit


	10. The Voice of Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Marcel isn't as dead as they think.

"So they found him, huh," Levi said. He and Hanji were sitting in the bar, watching the news. Which was, of course, reporting on the discovery of Marcel Galliard's body.

"Yep, they sure did," somebody else added. Levi and Hanji turned to see who had spoken. It was a man in his forties, who looked mildly annoyed. When he noticed their confusion, he explained. "I work at the morgue. Coroner. It's so weird though, they wouldn't let me near the body. Some guy from the state said they were taking care of the autopsy and I should just go home."

Levi and Hanji exchanged a glance. This _was_ weird. Just weird enough for them.

\--

Saint Ymir's was one of two schools in the Paradis area. It had three campuses; one each for primary, middle and secondary school. Saint Ymir's was one of those fancy private schools, so they didn't call it high school like everyone else. The class sizes were small, with no more than fifteen students in a class, and every student was expected to do their best.

It was a competitive school, and perhaps that was the reason the kids had banded together that way. Each of them were losers in their own right - Bertholt was awkward and sweaty, Reiner was constantly failing in class, Annie scared everyone off with her scary face, and Pieck... well, she was Pieck. And Marcel was the kind and caring person who had seen they were more than just weirdos. Of course, Porco didn't like hanging out with the weird kids, but he tagged along on their escapades anyways.

The kids rode into the school, and chained up their bikes on the bike rack.

"This is, uh, where we go to school," Bertholt said. "It's called, it's named after someone called Ymir too."

"Huh," Ymir said. She scratched at her nose, staring at the makeup that had rubbed off on her finger. "Probably 'cause I'm a goddess."

"Uh, okay," Bertholt said. "Sure."

The four of them walked through the empty halls of the school, footsteps echoing on the linoleum flooring.

"The AV club room is this way," Reiner said. "I'm not in the AV club, but Mrs Fausti is our science teacher and she told us about the radio. It should be strong enough to reach Marcel."

Annie trailed behind them. Her hands were shoved in her hoodie pocket and she watched her friends eagerly chatting amongst themselves. Hanging out with Reiner and Bertholt was always like this, which was why Annie didn't like doing it. They were joined at the hip, one rarely seen without the other. There just wasn't _room_ for anyone else.

Except, clearly, Ymir. She'd somehow wormed her way into the dynamic in a way that nobody else had, save for Marcel, but he didn't count because he was the dominant friend.

"Um, hey."

Annie looked up to see Bertholt. He was standing next to her, wringing his hands as always. She gave him her famed "what do you want?" look.

"Uh, just to, you know, make sure you're not, um, feeling left out or anything," Bertholt said. He walked alongside her, slowing his pace. It was hard, since he naturally took longer steps than Annie. It didn't help that Annie was so short.

"I'm not," Annie lied. She turned away from him, looking at the schoolwork hung up on the walls.

"It's weird being here in the holidays," Bertholt continued. "Like we'll get in trouble. But we won't, if we can pretend Ymir is a student well enough."

"I don't like her," Annie said. Bertholt looked at her.

"Why not?"

Annie shrugged. "I just don't. She's a bitch."

Bertholt's eyes widened at the curse word. He looked ahead to make sure Ymir hadn't overheard, then back to Annie. "You - you can't say that about people, it's rude and you'll get in trouble." He looked around, hoping there weren't any cameras or microphones that had caught her swearing.

"Well I don't care," Annie said. "She's rude and mean spirited."

Bertholt fiddled with the hem of his jumper. He wanted to tell Annie that some people also called her a bitch behind her back, but he didn't. It wasn't fair to pass on gossip like that to your friends.

"Hey, here's the AV club room!" Reiner said from up ahead. The others caught up and he wiggled the handle, only to discover that it was locked.

"Great. It's locked." Annie crossed her arms, annoyed that they'd come this far for nothing.

"No, it's fine," Reiner said with a grin. He turned to Ymir. "You can unlock the door."

Ymir shrugged.

"What do you mean? You've done it before, right?"

"Um, guys," Bertholt mumbled. He was keeping a look out at the end of the hall.

"I might be able to do it. I've never done it before."

"Well can you try?"

"Guys," Bertholt said again. He turned around to see the scene - Reiner trying to negotiate with Ymir, Ymir checking her nails, Annie standing in the corner and watching with a glower.

"Hey, what're you kids doing here?"

The kids spun around in shock, looking at the teacher that had stopped them.

"Mrs Fausti," Reiner said. "We were... We..."

"Wanted to, um, to uhh,"

"To look through Marcel's stuff!" Reiner finished, thinking of an excuse. His friends all nodded, none having a better excuse.

"To remember him by," Annie mumbled. She hoped their science teacher heard.

"Ah." Mrs Fausti nodded sadly. "They are meant to be kept away for his parents to collect, but you can have a look. They're all in the staff room." She narrowed her eyes at Ymir. "Are you enrolled here?"

Shit. The kids looked amongst themselves nervously; they'd been caught out.

"She's my cousin," Reiner blurted out again. The others nodded, Ymir too. "Twice removed. She's staying for the summer."

"Oh, and your name is..?"

"Ym-"

"Imogen!" Reiner said. "She's Swedish and she doesn't speak English."

"Your Swedish cousin, hm?" Mrs Fausti looked as if she didn't believe them for a second, but then shrugged. "Alright then."

She walked away, and they all sighed in relief.

"Imogen?" Ymir asked.

"Never mind," Reiner said, dismissing it. "Can you open the door?"

Ymir shrugged, closed her eyes, and held out her hand. The handle popped off and clattered to the floor. Under a sheet on the table was the long-range radio. 

"Are you gonna be able to contact him with it?" Reiner asked. Ymir sat down in front of the radio, running her fingers over it to familiarise herself. 

_She was sitting in one of the rooms. It was just her, the Supervisor, and a photograph on the table._

_"I need you to find him," the Supervisor said. "Can you do that? Find and listen to him?"_

_"I can do that," Ymir said. She looked at the photograph and closed her eyes._

_The lights went out, and the man's voice was broadcast over a speaker in the room. The Supervisor stared at it, not the reaction he'd been expecting. But a useful power nonetheless._

"She's doing it," Annie mumbled. The three friends stared at Ymir, watching as she connected with Marcel. Her eyes were half closed, and rolled back in her head. She was shaking a bit as well. 

The light overhead flickered out, Ymir borrowing its power temporarily. The radio turned on, static filling the room. Bertholt went to close the door so no staff would overhear. 

_"Porco? Porky, I need you to get out of here."_

That was Marcel's voice, clear as day. They stared in shock at the radio. Reiner, for one, was relieved that he wasn't the only one hearing him. 

_"The monster's coming, you have to run, I know you can't hear me but run."_

"He's in trouble," Bertholt said. "How do we..?"

With a crack, the radio burst into flames. Ymir collapsed in the seat, and Reiner pulled her away from the flames. Annie stood in shock, then grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall. 

The fire alarm was still blaring even when the fire had been put out. 

"We need to leave," Bertholt said. "We're... we're criminals now. We're arsonists. We'll go to jail and-"

Annie yanked his arm, pulling him out the door. Reiner and Ymir followed, the former recovering quickly. 

"Don't tell anyone," Annie warned. Bertholt nodded as they ran out to the emergency assembly point on the football field. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so quarantine did NOT give me drive to write,, i couldnt even keep up with schoolwork. anyway have you guys seen the trailer for s4 yet? im hyped


	11. Not Quite Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "dead body" found in the lake is revealed to be fake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh wow it's me. back from the dead with an update. quarantine killed my creative drive lmao

Pieck placed the ouija board on the ground, sliding the box's lid off.

"Do you know how to do it?" She asked. Porco shook his head. "Okay. So, you can ask the questions, but you can't ask joke questions. You have to be serious, and don't mock anyone. You have to keep your finger on the planchette at all times, and if you want to end the conversation you move it to "goodbye.""

"Okay," Porco said. Pieck set up the board, and put the planchette on it. They both placed their fingers on it. "Um, is anyone here?"

The planchette stayed in place.

"It's not working," Porco said. Pieck put a finger to her lips to say _quiet,_ and the planchette slid across the board to _yes_.

The two kids stared at each other in disbelief.

"You're not moving it, right?"

Pieck shook her head. "Are you?"

They looked back down at the board.

"What's your name?"

The planchette slid to _M,_ then continued. _A-R-C-E-L._

Both kids stared at the board in disbelief.

"Where are you?" Porco asked. He blinked, and felt tears in his eyes.

_R-I-G-H-T H-E-R-E._

"What's that supposed to mean? How do we find you, what do we do?"

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but this wasn't it.

_R-U-N._

The kids slowly looked up to each other as the lightbulb flickered overhead. The radio turned on, static playing loudly. And then, from under the wallpaper, a hand reached out.

They were frozen in shock as it burst through the wallpaper, grey hand pulling the creature out further. Porco slid the planchette to goodbye, then grabbed Pieck's arm to pull her out of the room. He could hear the creature chasing them, but if his last encounter with it was anything to go by, it would leave them alone when they got out of the house.

"That's a... A monster," Pieck said, out of breath.

"Yeah." He stared at the window, searching for movement.

"You don't sound surprised."

That was because he wasn't.

\--

Levi and Hanji had learned, in the past, that they shouldn't interact with police. It was a risk they didn't want to take. However, if they wanted to check out the body, they'd have to sneak into the morgue somehow. Authorities had come in to cover something up, so this was absolutely something up their lane.

Their break-in plan was simple. Levi would keep a look out for staff because he could easily and quietly knock someone out, and distract them if necessary, and Hanji would sneak in to inspect the corpse because they had the best attention to detail. They were the ultimate team.

The cameras were disabled and the lock was picked easily, and Hanji slipped into the room. They scanned the refrigeration cells until they came to the one labelled _Galliard, Marcel._ Putting on a pair of rubber gloves, Hanji opened the drawer and uncovered the corpse. They were used to seeing dead bodies, but something about this one felt off.

And then it clicked. This was a dummy. A highly realistic dummy, but a still a dummy. Hanji grabbed a scalpel from the side table, and drew it across a part of the body's shoulder. As expected - cotton stuffing. This body was not Marcel Galliard's.

Taking out their Nokia, Hanji took a photo as evidence. Then they rolled the drawer back in and swiftly left the cooler room, meeting Levi on the way out.

"All safe," he said, walking over to his friend. He looked at Hanji's expression, and grimaced. "What's wrong?"

"A dummy," they whispered, conscious of the cameras. His eyes widened, then he nodded, understanding. He spun the car keys around in his finger, and Hanji knew what he was saying too.

It was finally time to see what the lab was hiding.

\--

Zeke was running a late-night fuel errand for his mother at the time. The service station was open 24/7, but he was the only one there, considering it was 11pm. As he re-fueled the car, another car pulled up. The door slammed loudly, and Zeke could hear the occupants arguing.

"I swear I filled it the other day," one of the people said. Their friend (or husband? The couple looked like they might be married) stormed off into the servo, and they grumbled and filled up the car. The person noticed him, and gave him a quick smile and nod.

Content that his mother's car was full, Zeke put the fuel nozzle back, and went into the servo to pay. He stood in line behind the man from the car, and he was waiting for the attendant to get to the counter (they were probably in the back). He looked impatient, tapping his foot on the linoleum floor. Zeke tried to give the man a nod, the same way his partner had acknowledged him, but the man ignored him. _Rude_.

The shop assistant came back, and the man gestured to Zeke to step up to the counter. He stepped in front of him, and payed for the fuel. 

"And a pack of Marlboros too, thanks," he said. The man grimaced in disgust, and Zeke tried to ignore him as the shop assistant turned around to get a pack of cigarettes from the cabinet. The assistant handed over the pack and took his credit card to pay. The gory image of an eye surgery leered at him from the pack, the writing warning him that _this is what happens to you when you smoke!_

"Hate the new packaging," he said. The assistant nodded halfheartedly. 

"Yeah, it's the new law. Can you enter your pin?"

Zeke sighed and tapped the pin onto the eftpos machine. The purchase went through the system, and he pocketed the smokes. "Thanks," he said, nodding and stepping away. The man frowned at him, and stepped up to the counter. 

Zeke left the store, and drove his car a few metres away to the bay where it was safe for him to smoke. He took out the cigarette lighter from the glovebox, and lit up a smoke. From his place in the car, hand with the cigarette leaning out of the window, Zeke noticed the other car had driven over to the side of the service station as well. The man from the shop and his... partner? were sat inside, speaking to each other in hushed voices - though not quiet enough for Zeke not to overhear.

"-At the lab?"

"-That Galliard kid-"

That was - that was Marcel. The missing kid. Why were they talking about-

The car started up again, and took off. 

And Zeke followed.


End file.
